The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ Westborough Massachusetts "Open Doors - Growing Faith!

Transcription

1 The Evangel The Congregational Church of Westborough, United Church of Christ Westborough Massachusetts "Open Doors - Growing Faith!" Volume 36, Issue 10 November 30, 2016 PASTOR S NOTE One of the most beloved Christmas traditions in our culture is seeing Charles Dicken s A Christmas Carol. In this story, Scrooge goes from being a miserly spoilsport to understanding that Christmas is about giving to others through the work of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. Because of his transformation, many other lives are changed for good! During the Advent season, we will be drawing on the story of Scrooge as we highlight the fruits of the Spirit in our lives of joy, peace, love, and then hope. Using music from the Disney movie and lines from the play each Sunday, we hope to highlight through our Advent Scriptures that we do not live in a world of scarcity, but through the gifts of God, we live in a world of abundance that should be shared with everyone. As Tiny Tim would say, God bless us everyone! Faithfully yours, Pastor Paul Regular Office Hours Monday & Friday 9am 1pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9am 2pm

2 December Worship Schedule All of our Sunday services are at 10 AM, and there is nursery care and Sunday School for kids up through the 8 th grade. The kids are in church for the first 10 minutes or so, and then they go to their special session. Everyone is invited to join us for coffee hour after the service downstairs in the vestry (or fellowship hall)! SUNDAY, DEC 4 th SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT - COMMUNION SUNDAY We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion this morning, and Pastor Paul will be preaching on the spiritual fruit of peace, as we continue our journey through Advent. SUNDAY, DEC 11 th THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT We will light our third Advent candle this morning, and Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani will be preaching on the spiritual fruit of love. Giving Tree gifts should be brought in this Sunday. There will be a get together for new people in the church after the service. THURSDAY, DEC 15 th PRAYER SERVICE WITH THE HARP, 7PM Join us in the Chapel as we welcome back Tom, our favorite harpist, who will draw us into the season with prayerful and joyful songs. SUNDAY, DEC 18 th CHRISTMAS SUNDAY HEALING SUNDAY We will light our fourth Advent candle this morning, and Pastor Paul will be preaching on the spiritual fruit of hope. We will also have a time of healing during the service. SUNDAY, DEC 18 th CHRISTMAS PAGEANT 5PM COOKIE WALK Our annual Christmas Pageant will be tonight, so please invite friends and family to join us! Our annual Cookie Walk will take place after the Pageant, benefiting the music programs of our church, so stock up for the holidays! SATURDAY, DEC 24 th CHRISTMAS EVE 5PM & 7PM Join us to celebrate Christ s birth for our 5 PM service, designed for families with young children, and with Joyspring playing, or our 7 PM service with choir and bells. Invite a family member or friend to join you! SUNDAY, DEC 25 th CHRISTMAS DAY We will gather together on Christmas morning at 10 AM to celebrate this most special of days! Please join us! PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US HERE FOR WORSHIP! 2

3 January 2017 Worship Schedule PRAYERS & CELEBRATIONS SUNDAY, JAN 1 st - NEW YEAR S DAY - COMMUNION SUNDAY We will celebrate the Sacrament of Communion today as we begin the new year! Rev. Elaine S. Gaetani will be preaching. SUNDAY, JAN 8 th BAPTISM SUNDAY We will highlight the baptism of Christ today, and our service will be led by our youth. THURSDAY, JAN 12 th PRAYER SERVICE LABYRINTH 7PM Join us for this special time of spiritual nourishment and spiritual direction as we walk the labyrinth and listen to God s voice in our lives. SUNDAY, JAN 15 th MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SUNDAY We will remember and give thanks for the ministry of Martin Luther King Jr. this Sunday, and Pastor Paul will be doing an introduction to a sermon series on the spiritual gifts. SUNDAY, JAN 22 nd We will focus today on the spiritual gift of leadership, and our seminarian Linda Hartley will be preaching. SUNDAY, JAN 29 th We will focus today on the spiritual gift of mercy, and Pastor Paul will be preaching. PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS TO JOIN US HERE FOR WORSHIP! 3 Bereavement: Mike and Anita Lawler s nephew, Matthew White; Charlotte Bramley and family upon the passing of her husband Chris; Michael Coles family following his very young death New Prayers: Marge Butcher; All those affected by Hurricane Matthew. Continued Prayers: George Frongillo, friend of the Newtons; Jane Kruse; Liz; Dick Birch; Helena Engberg Celebrations: Oliver James Thayer born October 7, 2016 to Andy and Meg Thayer of Meriden, CT. Grandparents are Polly & Jay Thayer. Coleman House: Jean Hall Beaumont: Shirley Hero; Norma Plummer; Jack Thompson; Shirley Foss Kindred Health Care: Bea Ladner You can place prayer concerns on the church s distribution list at eprayers@uccwestboro.org. To add or renew an ongoing concern, please call the church office or westboroucc@verizon.net. JEN KEELER HIRED AS NEW NURSERY COORDINATOR We are so grateful to have Jen as our new nursery coordinator, as Sarah McNiff bowed out. She will be in the nursery every Sunday from around 9:30-11:30, and often brings her daughters Rachel or Sophie to help! Stop by and say hi, even if you don t have any little ones in the nursery! DRAMA TEAM Do you have any acting experience? Or are you just a character? Whatever your background, please join our newly forming Drama Team! We will be doing skits as part of our worship once a month or so, and may branch out beyond that as time goes by. We hope to do our first skit on Dec. 4 th. Be in touch with Irene Bagdoian at irene@bagdoianlaw.com if you are interested!

4 PHOTOGRAPHER NEEDED Do you like to take photos? We are looking for someone to take photos of our life as a church both for the website and our Facebook page. If you would be interested in helping out, please speak to Pastor Paul or Ted Jaworski. Thanks! MISSIONS 61 st EVERGREEN FAIR It s almost here! The 61 st Evergreen Fair is Saturday, Dec. 3rd from 9am to 3pm! What a great way to start your Christmas season. There will be handmade items, greens, crafts, cheese, jewelry, gingerbread, the famous Santa s Workshop, a delicious luncheon, baked goods galore and a special visit from Santa himself. Come and enjoy the sights, sounds and fragrances and mostly fellowship of our wonderful church at Christmas The Giving Trees will be set up after Church in the Library on Sundays through December 4th!!! We are hoping to provide gifts for 85 children in need this year a total of 274 tags!!! After our first week we have just 28 tags left on our trees! Thank you! Please be sure to sign out your tags and pick up your instructions and bags. All WRAPPED gifts with tags firmly attached are due back before noon on Sunday December 11 th. If you can t shop but would like to make a financial contribution, please see one of the Missions Committee members or contact Kathy Reynolds (kreynolds118@comcast.net or ) or Megan Huber (meganhuber@aol.com or ). Thank you!!! DISMAS HOUSE DINNER Dinner with the residents at Dismas House is on the first Thursday of every month. Our next dinner is Thursday, Jan 7th. How can you get involved? 1. Help prepare a meal for 15 to 20 people. 2. Donate a grocery card that can be used to help shop for food. 3. Come along and join us as we share great food and fellowship with the residents! For more information please contact Karen Hutchinson at , millarhutch@aol.com or chat with her during fellowship hour! WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP NEXT MEETING DECEMBER 5 TH Christmas Party & Yankee Swap - 6:30 PM No program just fun and fellowship. An evening of fun and relaxation before the rush. Bring a wrapped gift ($10 limit) to swap. Be prepared to laugh and enjoy refreshments from Yummy Mummy. Mission: Giving Tree (children s gifts): The Mission Committee will let us know what is needed. COMING UP JANUARY 2 ND Fair Wrap-Up Meeting Informal meeting to clean up and put away any leftovers from the Fair. We ll review what worked, what didn t and what we can do to improve our major fundraiser. A light supper will be served. Mission: IHN Donations of paper towels, TP and grocery cards 4

5 LONGTIME MEMBERS AND FRIENDS RENEW A BOND BLESSINGS MULTIPLIED SAVE THE DATE! A CELTIC CHRISTMAS Performed by Thom Dutton the Troubadour Harper Thursday, December 15th 7:00 PM in our Chapel. This year s concert features music and stories from Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Members Shirley Hero and Helena Engberg have served our church for many years in countless ways. They recently renewed their bond with a visit. The two held hands for the entire hour. We all smiled when Shirley told Helena, You haven t changed a bit. Shirley had asked about Helena while we were sharing Communion. Sally Petersen, who helps out Helena, and Judy Powell, both jumped at the chance to help organize and witness the visit. Helena is the author of A History of the Evangelical Congregational Church, published in Joan Truesdell, Deacon MENS BREAKFAST DEC 17th All men and boys are welcome to join us for our men's breakfast on Saturday, Dec. 17th from 8-9:30 at our church, and we are inviting our friends from the Methodist and Episcopal churches as well. Mike O'Donnell from our church will be sharing his testimony. Hope to see you there! SAVE THE EVENING! WALKING WITH GOD INTO THE NEW YEAR LABYRINTH PRAYER WALK THURSDAY JAN 12 TH 7:00pm IN THE VESTRY Using the Labyrinth, quiet meditative sacred music, scripture readings and Spiritual direction Questions we will seek to discover God's intentions and desires for us in this New Year. This is a time of celebration, introspection, quiet meditation, Centering and spiritual direction. Come and let us Walk with God into the New Year. Please wear warm socks, as shoes are not allowed on the labyrinth. 5

6 PARISH LIFE CHRISTMAS CAROLING SUNDAY, DECEMEBER 11 TH Meet in the 4:30PM for a Light Supper Caroling at 5:00 PM People of all ages are invited. Come Christmas Caroling Sunday, Dec. 11 th, sponsored by the fun Parish Life Committee. Come to one of the most popular activities. It's a great way to spend time with our youth and the shut in people enjoy our visits. Bring your Santa hat or reindeer antlers and your jingle bells. Then afterwards we have hot chocolate and fellowship. If you have questions call Cathie Achorn at , or talk to a Parish Life Committee Member- Nancy Cook, Leigh Walker, Cathy Purcell, Linda Borglund. YANKEE SWAP (re-gifting) PARTY All men and women are invited to a Yankee Swap on Saturday, Jan 21 st at 7pm. Come for fun and fellowship. Everyone bring a wrapped gift (approx. $10) and a dessert to share. Questions call Cathie Achorn at or camachorn@aol.com. CONTRIBUTIONS Contribution envelopes will be available for pickup in the vestry on Sunday, December 18th. If you would like to switch from weekly to monthly (or vice versa) envelopes, please let me know as soon as possible. All contributions you would like included in your 2016 report must be received in the church office by December 31, If you are unsure of the balance due on your pledge for 2016, please feel free to give me a call ( ) or send me an sharkey53@charter.net. Thank you for your continued financial support of the church ministries and missions. Linda Sharkey 6 FLOWER COMMITTEE The Flower Committee is taking orders for poinsettias to be displayed in the Sanctuary. Please fill out the order form at the back of this Evangel. The form will also be available in the bulletin each Sunday. MUSIC NOTES BAKERS NEEDED FOR COOKIE WALK The annual cookie walk fundraiser for the music program will take place immediately following the Christmas Pageant on Sunday, Dec. 18. If you need last minute cookies for your guests, the cookie walk is a great time to stock up. The cookies cost $7 per pound. Anyone willing to bake a couple dozen cookies and donate them to the sale should leave them off sometime Sunday and take them to the kitchen. The cookies should already be in a cookie tin or plastic container and have your name on it. Proceeds will benefit the music programs of our church. Thank you. The Music Committee GREETINGS FROM THE BELL LOFT Kids' Chimes & Bells Our final rehearsal for the first half of the church year is this Sunday, 12/4, and attendance is very important!! We will play chimes & bells in church next Sunday, 12/11. We will resume rehearsals on March 5, 2017, to prepare music for the Easter Season & Mother's Day. Festival Ringers Our final rehearsal will be on Tuesday, 12/13, putting finishing touches on our Christmas Anthem, "Good King Wenceslas", which will be shared on Sunday, 12/18. We will resume rehearsals on March 7, Thanks to both choirs for the dedication you show by attending rehearsals and participating in worship. You bring joy to my heart and to all who love hearing your gift of music. Have a Merry Christmas and let me be the first to wish you a HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR!! Sue Menzel

7 CHURCH SCHOOL THE GREAT PIE CHALLENGE 2016 Thank you to EVERYONE! The Great Pie Challenge was truly great! We made over 200 pies between the apple and the pumpkin. ALL of the pies were made with donated ingredients! We received hundreds of dollars in grocery cards too, used to purchase ingredients and whipped cream! We were able to donate more than 100 pies to The Curtis Family Thanksgiving. Some of our Youth Group members delivered the pies this year and we stayed as volunteers for the afternoon. We helped to prep bread for hundreds of pounds of stuffing for the Thanksgiving meal to be served, at the community meal and in home deliveries. The Great Pie Sale was also a great success! We were able to raise over $1000 for our Mission Trip to St Vincent. CHRISTMAS PAGEANT This year s Christmas Pageant will be A Christmas Carol! We will be re-telling our own version of this Christmas classic the way only we can! Our parts will be played by Sunday School and Youth Group members of all ages! You are not going to want to miss this one! We will also be sharing the Nativity Story as told by our youngest students. The pageant is SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18th AT 5PM. Everyone is welcome! Please come and invite your friends and neighbors, discover the real meaning of Christmas! SUNDAY SCHOOL AND YOUTH GROUP As we begin the new year, we will continue to discover just who the disciples were. We will learn about their lives before, during and after their time with Jesus. We will also discover where we can find them today! We have many hands on projects for the winter and spring that will enhance our learning and discovery, our first project is building our wooden boat! 7 Students of all ages will take part in the construction of the boat from start to finish. We will be launching our boat this spring! In Youth Group, our topic meetings will focus on poverty, the importance of water, shelter, and education-literacy. How we, as people of faith, can play a role in breaking the cycle. We will be learning about St Vincent and the contrasts between the tourism trade of the Caribbean Islands and the way the indigenous people live, raise their families and dream for their futures. WORDS OF APPRECIATION Dear Church People, Thank you for taking the time to come by our Operations Center recently to donate goods to our Hurricane Matthew Relief Effort. We are truly grateful that our 66 children at Brit s Home, many staff members and their families, along with over 100 community members were able to safely withstand Hurricane Matthew s assault on Haiti. Our relief efforts continue to keep Britney s spirit alive by helping as many people in the community of Haiti that we can and for that we are truly grateful! Thank you again, Be Like Brit~ Cherylann & Len ADDRESS CHANGES Sue MacMaster 123 Madison Place Southborough, MA Nila & John Gray 2 Wescott Drive Hopkinton, MA Kristen & Petter Knutrud 3403 Barton Road Pompano Beach, FL 33062

8 GROCERY CARD SALES 2015 Goal: $10,000 YTD Sales: $ 7, Gift Card Shoppers: Shopping for a particular gift card? Many of those on the Giving Tree are wishing for a gift card. There are loads to choose from at Stop & Shop, Roche Bros. and Price Chopper. Stop by our table or the Church Office to pick up a list of gift cards available at these stores. There are just 4 weeks left for us to meet our obligation to the Operation Budget of our Church. The Church receives 3-5% from each grocery card sold. It will take a BIG effort from all of us. Happy Shopping! Contact us: Karen Hutchinson at or millarhutch@aol.com or Nancy Quimby at or nquimby11@gmail.com or Sally Petersen at sbpetersen4@gmail.com and AROUND THE CHURCH PLAYGROUP Looking to get out of the house and meet up with others? Playgroup has started back up again. Come join us at the church. We meet every Wednesday in the Cribbery or Vestry at 9:30am. If you have any questions, please contact Sandy Horton at communication in today s on-line environment, or just want to contribute to our Church s social presence, Ted. The tools are simple and fun to use. VIDEOS OF CHURCH SERVICES Videos of many of our church services and events can be viewed any time over the Internet "on demand" through the web site of Westborough public access TV, : click on "WTV Shows" on the home page and then the "Congregational Church of Westborough" icon; or use "Show Search" to find programs with "Congregational" in the title. WPCC OF MA The Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA, with a main office at 7 Church Street, Westborough, have a long history of providing counseling to all persons seeking healing, wholeness and renewal. We work with individuals, couples and families offering a holistic approach that focuses on all aspects of a person's life. We also offer several support groups including care-giving, divorce and midlife groups. To inquire further, please call Mary Taber at # CHURCH WEBSITE Now on our website listen to past sermons! The Church Website is your website! Use it to shown friends and inquirers what our Church is all about. For your needs, use it to see or find: upcoming events, meeting times, Service Bulletins, the Evangel, the Committee List, past sermons, sign up/green Slip forms and to submit a prayer request. If there is something you would like to see on the site, send an to Ted Jaworski, Church Communications Officer, tjaw2000@aol.com. We are also looking for people to join the Social Media and the Communications Teams. If you would like to learn how to do social 8

9 CONTACT INFORMATION Pastor Paul Sangree, Senior Pastor Rev Elaine S. Gaetani, Pastor of Spiritual Development Clayton Heidbreder, Minister of Music Wendy Reardon, Director of Children s and Youth Ministry wendysreardon@yahoo.com Linda Hartley, Student Minister lhartley@ants.edu Sue Menzel, Handbell Director westcongmusic@gmail.com Rev. Matt Carriker, Mission Pastor for New Church Start mcarrike@hotmail.com Office Administrators Lisa Coffey WestboroUCC@Verizon.net Bonnie Rossi brossi6@verizon.net Church Office Phone 508/ POINSETTIAS The Flower Committee is taking orders for poinsettias for display in the Sanctuary on Sunday, December 18 th. Plants will be delivered to octogenarians and shut-ins. Send your order and check (made out to "The Congregational Church of Westborough" noting Flower Committee on memo section) to the church office BY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 TH # of plants at $12 each. $ total Plants are given (please note which) in memory of or in honor of: (Please print clearly) FOR: FROM: General Church WestboroUCC@Verizon.net Church web site 9

10 Greetings, With the devastation that Hurricane Matthew has left behind in Haiti, we have been asked about what people can do to support the group we have partnered with, Heartline Ministries in Haiti. We have had 3 trips to Haiti and are now preparing for our 4 th trip next March (2017). We would like to present two opportunities for your consideration. Short-term in response to the efforts of Heartline in working with other partner organizations in Haiti, responding to the hurricane relief efforts, we would suggest writing a check. To donate by check, please make checks payable to Heartline Foundation and designate "Hurricane Relief." Mail to: Heartline Ministries, P.O. Box 898, Sunnyside, WA This financial aid will allow the Heartline leadership (John and Beth McHoul, Troy and Tara Livesay) to put the monies where they are deemed most necessary at this immediate time. We cannot send supplies to Haiti from here unless they are being hand carried or sent through a trusted 3 rd party organization. We have included down below an update from Troy at Heartline on what the most important issues they are facing in their relief efforts and some efforts that have already been made. We imagine by the time of our next trip, most of the major relief organizations will be starting to wind down their efforts as they did after the earthquake. The church groups, like ours, are the ones that continue on with the relief efforts in the years to come. Longer-term, you can join us in sponsoring a family as part of Heartline s Strengthening Families Campaign. Our families each sponsor a Haitian Family through this campaign. Heartline understands that in Haiti, as elsewhere, strong families are the most important source of material provision, spiritual guidance, and emotional support in the lives of children. Families are crucial for child development providing not just food, water, clothing, housing, and education, but also cultural understanding and a deep sense of identity. This new program is designed to provide crucial support for vulnerable Haitians, strengthening families and ultimately preventing children from becoming orphans. To support a family in this campaign involves a $25 monthly donation via PayPal. A link to the campaign is below. If you would like to donate but don't feel comfortable doing so on-line, or if there is another amount you would want to donate, you can make a check out to Heartline Foundation adding "Strengthening Family Campaign" in the memo line. Mail to: Heartline Ministries, P.O. Box 898, Sunnyside, WA Heartline s website: We keep returning to Haiti and plan to do again in 2017 because of the tremendous work done by Heartline in Haiti through their ongoing programs focused on maternal health, and the education of men, women and children. We have been fortunate enough to see first-hand through our work with Heartline the successes of each of these programs when we are there in Haiti. Many Thanks for your continuing support of our efforts and Heartline. We are most appreciative. Mike Lawler and Art Sharkey UPDATE from Troy Livesay of Heartline in Haiti: Heartline Ministries and trusted partners have been working nonstop to provide lifesaving emergency assistance where it s most needed. Through donations, Heartline provided Mission Aviation Fellowship with $10,000 to fund five large aircrafts filled with emergency food, water purification kits, tarps and other temporary shelter materials, and additional supplies to communities with acute relief needs. In the past weeks, we have distributed tarps, rope, mattresses, ladders, tools to clear debris, 55 gallon water drums, rice 10

11 sacks, beans, cooking oil, over 10,000 water purification tablets, and a large tent for a church that was destroyed. Heartline and trusted partners will continue to focus on providing lifesaving emergency relief. The major needs are food, clean water, and temporary shelter materials. Clean water is the most pressing need due to the extensive contamination of natural water sources by stormwater and sewage overflow during the storm. Haiti was fighting a cholera epidemic when the hurricane hit, and the disease is now spreading more rapidly and already claiming lives. Heartline will continue to prioritize the distribution of clean water and water purification tablets. Food insecurity and malnutrition are major concerns since the hurricane struck during the region s harvest, destroying the primary food supply and livelihood for farmers. Heartline and partners will continue purchasing food produced in Haiti to boost the local economy while feeding hungry children and their families. Thousands of survivors lost their homes in the hurricane and are living in the open air, vulnerable to the weather. We will continue providing tarps and reconstruction materials to repair homes and provide adequate temporary shelters until more permanent solutions are available. Once the initial relief period has passed, Heartline and trusted partners will shift attention to longer-term recovery efforts to help families rebuild homes and recover livelihoods and agricultural assets. Christian Veterinary Mission will work with grassroots organizations to provide expert veterinary care and disease prevention to the livestock of subsistence farmers whose livelihoods depend on productive animals. With the harvest completely destroyed, providing seeds for planting and replacing other agricultural inputs will help to stave off hunger and malnutrition. Nearly half of Heartline employees have immediate family members living in the worst affected areas, with homes severely damaged or completely destroyed. Heartline is committed to helping them rebuild their homes and providing other essential support. If you have any questions at any time, please reach out to us. We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about Heartline and Haiti. Mike and Art 11

12 The Congregational Church of Westborough United Church of Christ NON-PROFIT ORG. 57 West Main St. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Westborough, MA WESTBOROUGH, MA Change Service Requested PERMIT NO